C.F. Lott Home in Sank Park, Oroville CA

Category & Type :

Recreation

Location :

1067 Montgomery Street , Oroville CA

Phone :

530-538-2415

Information about C.F. Lott Home in Sank Park...

Located at 1067 Montgomery Street, Oroville on an entire block in an old neighborhood full of period houses is Sank Park the two acre property on which the wealthy and influential gold rush pioneer, California state senator, attorney, and judge Charles Fayette Lott built his home in 1856. Known as C. F. Lott Home, his only daughter Cornelia inherited the house and the entirety of judge Lott’s fortune upon the death of her only brother. According to “Cornelia and Jess A Love Story” by Robert E. Colby, this house was both a prison and a fount of happiness to Cornelia. The miserly judge Lott, while he was alive, is supposed to have driven any admirers away, believing that no one could be interested in his daughter for anything other than her inheritance. He was so convinced of this fact that he threatened to cut his children off if they got married thereby forcing Cornelia into near spinsterhood and her brother Fay into bachelorhood. For Cornelia however, fate had another plan in the form of Jess Sank. Following the death of her brother Fay, who had donned the mantle of guardian after judge Lott’s death, Cornelia found the freedom most of us take for granted: to receive the love and affection of her suitor who had in her case appeared at the Lott home quite unexpectedly seven long years earlier.
After Cornelia’s marriage to Jess they spent many wonderful years at Lott home. Jess deeply in love with Cornelia expressed his love for his wife through projects involving remodeling the house and gardens. Upon his death he willed the property to the city of Oroville in memory of his wife with the simple request that picnic tables be provided on the grounds. Today, this symbol of beauty and love is enjoyed by the public. The house that C.F. Lott built and Jess Sank remodeled is a museum with a romantic garden for merriment and rest.
Welcome to the home of Judge Charles F. Lott, Sr. Judge Lott was a practicing attorney in Quincy, Illinois when - like so many - he was bitten by the "gold fever" bug.

He traveled to California over the old Lassen Trail with the Quincy Party and first settled in Long's Bar. He soon discovered that the hard, dirty work searching for gold was not for him and he retumed to the practice of law.

In 1851 Judge Lott was elected Senator from Butte County and was very instrumental in establishing law and order in this area.

In 1855 Oroville was named the county seat and, feeling that his future was here, he purchased his parcel of property for $200 and started the building of the Lott home in 1856. That same year he went east and returned with a bride, Susan Heyer of Pennsylvania.

They had three children; Sarah Virginia, known as Ginny, who died shortly before her third birthday. Mrs. Lott never re-covered from the loss of the little girl. They later had a son, Charles Fayette Lott, Jr. who was known as Faye and a daughter Cornelia Deare.

Faye was very retiring and rather slow and remained a bachelor and lived his entire 57 years in the Lott Home. Cornelia, as a result of a fall her mother had while carrying her, was born with a facial tick and rather weak legs.

The Judge was extremely protective of both children as he felt that no one other than a fortune hunter would be interested in marrying either of them.

During his travels, the Judge met a Miss Marie Crowe, a seamstress, and brought her home to sew for Mrs. Lott and Cornelia. She was a very strong-minded woman and soon took over the running of the household. She sent Cornelia away to a girls' school in San Francisco and seldom even permitted her to come home for holidays and vacations.

When Comelia returned home she was reconciled to remaining a spinster. The Judge' who lived to the age of 94 died in 1918 and Fay took over the father/protector role vacated by his father.

When Cornelia was 44, a mutual friend introduced her to a man who had come west after serving in the army. That man was Jess Sank, age 34, and they soon fell in love, in spite of the difference in their ages and the gossip that he was probably a fortune hunter.

Faye, in his role of father/protector, did everything he could to keep them apart, but they managed to-meet secretly for seven years. Faye died in April of 1927 and Cornelia and Jess was finally united in marriage in June of that same year.

The Sanks spent 26 beautiful years together, entertaining, traveling to the high country and enjoying each other. Contrary to what the gossips may have thought, Jess worked very hard for Cornelia, handled her money wisely and opened an entire new life for her.

Cornelia died quite suddenly in 1953 and Jess lived eight years longer. Prior to his death he fulfilled what he knew to be Cornelia's wishes and willed the Lott Home and surrouning gardens to the City of Oroville to be used as you see it today. Their cabin and property at Lotts Lake he willed to The Native Sons of the Golden West and many pieces of their furniture to the Native Daughters for their future museum.